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Purple Heart

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For the plant genus, see Purpleheart.

The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after 5 April 1917 with the U.S. military.

Contents

[edit] Appearance

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Image:Purpleheart rib.png

A Purple Heart is a heart-shaped medal within a gold border, 1 3⁄8 inches (35 mm) wide, containing a profile of General George Washington. Above the heart appears a shield of the Washington coat of arms (a white shield with two red bars and three red stars in chief) between sprays of green leaves. The reverse consists of a raised bronze heart with the words FOR MILITARY MERIT below the coat of arms and leaves. The ribbon is 1 and 3⁄8 inches (35 mm) wide and consists of the following stripes: 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) white 67101; 1 1⁄8 inches (29 mm) purple 67115; and 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) white 67101. As with other combat medals, multiple awards are denoted by award stars for the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or oak leaf clusters for the Army and Air Force.

[edit] History

The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington–then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army–by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters on 7 August 1782.

The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers and fell into disuse following the War of Independence. Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.

On 10 October 1927, Army Chief of Staff General Charles Pelot Summerall directed that a draft bill be sent to Congress "to revive the Badge of Military Merit". The bill was withdrawn and action on the case ceased on 3 January 1928, but the office of the Adjutant General was instructed to file all materials collected for possible future use.

A number of private interests sought to have the medal reinstituted in the Army. One of these was the board of directors of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum in Ticonderoga, New York.

On 7 January 1931, Summerall’s successor, General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened work on a new design, involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts. This new design was issued on the bicentennial of George Washington's birth.

Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart. Using general specifications provided to her, Will created the design sketch for the present medal of the Purple Heart. Her obituary, in the 8 February 1975 edition of the Washington Post newspaper, reflects her many contributions to military heraldry.

The Commission of Fine Arts solicited plaster models from three leading sculptors for the medal, selecting that of John R. Sinnock of the Philadelphia Mint in May 1931. By Executive Order of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart was revived on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington's birth, out of respect to his memory and military achievements, by War Department General Orders No. 3, dated 22 February 1932.

The criteria was announced in War Department circular dated 22 February 1932 and authorized award to soldiers, upon their request, who had been awarded the Meritorious Service Citation Certificate, Army Wound Ribbon, or were authorized to wear Wound Chevrons subsequent to 5 April 1917. The first Purple Heart was awarded to MacArthur.

Image:George-Washington.jpg During the early period of American involvement in World War II (7 December 1941-22 September 1943), the Purple Heart was awarded both for wounds received in action against the enemy and for meritorious performance of duty. With the establishment of the Legion of Merit, by an Act of Congress, the practice of awarding the Purple Heart for meritorious service was discontinued.

By Executive Order 9277, dated 3 December 1942, the decoration was extended to be applicable to all services and the order required that regulations of the Services be uniform in application as far as practicable. This executive order also authorized award only for wounds received.

Executive Order 10409, dated 12 February 1952, revised authorizations to include the Service Secretaries subject to approval of the Secretary of Defense.

Executive Order 11016, dated 25 April 1962, included provisions for posthumous award of the Purple Heart.

Executive Order 12464, dated 23 February 1984, authorized award of the Purple Heart as a result of terrorist attacks or while serving as part of a peacekeeping force subsequent to 28 March 1973.

The Senate approved an amendment to the 1985 Defense Authorization Bill on 13 June 1985 which changed the precedent from immediately above the Good Conduct Medal to immediately above the Meritorious Service Medals. Public Law 99-145 authorized the award for wounds received as a result of friendly fire. Public Law 104-106 expanded the eligibility date, authorizing award of the Purple Heart to a former prisoner of war who was wounded before 25 April 1962.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (Public Law 105-85) changed the criteria to delete authorization for award of the Purple Heart Medal to any civilian national of the United States while serving under competent authority in any capacity with the Armed Forces. This change was effective 18 May 1998.

[edit] Criteria

[edit] Award specifications

The Purple Heart differs from all other decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the decoration; rather he or she is entitled upon being wounded or killed in a manner meeting the specific criteria of Army Regulation 600-8-22:

  1. In any action against an enemy of the United States;
  2. In any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged;
  3. While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party;
  4. As a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces;
  5. As the result of an act of any hostile foreign force;
  6. After 28 March 1973, as a result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of the department concerned, or jointly by the Secretaries of the departments concerned if persons from more than one department are wounded in the attack; or,
  7. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations, while serving outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping force.
  8. After 7 December 1941, by weapon fire while directly engaged in armed conflict, regardless of the fire causing the wound.
  9. While held as a prisoner of war or while being taken captive.

A "wound" is defined as an injury to any part of the body from an outside force or agent. A physical lesion is not required; however, the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment by a medical officer and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries received in action must have been made a matter of official record.

Individuals wounded or killed as a result of friendly fire in the heat of battle will be awarded the Purple Heart as long as the "friendly" projectile or agent was released with the full intent of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment.

[edit] Award examples

Examples of enemy-related injuries which clearly justify award of the Purple Heart are as follows:

  1. Injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or other projectile created by enemy action.
  2. Injury caused by enemy placed land mines or traps.
  3. Injury caused by enemy-released chemical, biological, or nuclear agent.
  4. Injury caused by vehicle or aircraft accident resulting from enemy fire.
  5. Concussion injuries caused as a result of enemy-generated explosions.
  6. Injury caused by allied close air suport in the heat of the battle

[edit] Denial examples

Examples of combat related injuries which do not qualify for the Purple Heart are as follows:

  1. Developing a service-related disability, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, months or years after having been engaged in enemy combat.
  2. Suffering environment-related injuries in a combat zone, such as frostbite or sunburn
  3. Injured while performing a mission related to combat, but not in direct contact with enemy forces. An example would be falling and breaking a bone while on a patrol or being involved in a vehicle accident while travelling through a combat zone.
  4. A physical disability which occurred years later relating to combat with the enemy. An example would be a service member who suffered from hearing loss in later life with claims made that this was the result of having been shelled by enemy artillery years before.
  5. An injury which occurred in combat, but was as the result of taking cover or retreating. An example would be a soldier who, while under fire from the enemy, dives into a foxhole and shatters a bone or dislocates a joint.
  6. A malicious injury caused by another allied soldier. An example would be having been shot deliberately, by another friendly forces soldier, as the result of an argument.
  7. Injured by the enemy through sheer negligence of duty. An example would be intentionally walking into a marked enemy minefield or deliberately exposing oneself to enemy fire with a desire to be wounded or killed. Such cases are often very hard to determine, since the definition of negligence is open to interpretation.
  8. Any self-inflicted wound, even if it was during combat with an enemy. If determined to be "in the heat of the battle," such as being shot with one's own weapon while struggling hand to hand with an enemy, the Purple Heart may be authorized. The stipulation mainly applies to those who wound themselves on purpose to avoid combat duty or who seek evacuation from a dangerous area.
  9. Jump injuries not caused by enemy action.

[edit] Presentation procedures

[edit] Modern day presentations

Current active duty personnel are awarded the Purple Heart upon recommendation from their chain of command, stating the injury that was received and the action in which the service member was wounded. The award authority for the Purple Heart is normally at the level of an Army Brigade, Marine Corps Division, Air Force Wing, or Navy Task Force. While the award of the Purple Heart is considered automatic for all wounds received in combat, each award presentation must still be reviewed to ensure that the wounds received were as a result of enemy action.

Modern day Purple Heart presentations are recorded in both hardcopy and electronic service records. The annotation of the Purple Heart is denoted both with the service member's parent command and at the headquarters of the military service department. An original citation and award certificate are presented to the service member and filed in the field service record.

[edit] Unrecorded presentations

During the Vietnam War, Korean War, and World War II, the Purple Heart was often awarded "on the spot," with occasional entries made into service records, but this was often not the case. In addition, during the mass demobilizations that followed each of America's major wars of the 20th century, it was a common occurrence for the Purple Heart to be omitted from service records, due to clerical errors, once the service record was closed upon discharge.

An added complication is that a number of field commanders would engage in "bedside presentations" of the Purple Heart which would typically entail a general entering a hospital with a box of Purple Hearts, pinning them on the pillows of wounded service members, and then departing with no official records kept of the visit or the award of the Purple Heart. Service members, themselves, could complicate the issue by leaving hospitals unofficially, returning to their units in haste to rejoin a battle or to not appear as a malingerer. In such cases, even if a service member had received actual wounds in combat, both the award of the Purple Heart, as well as the entire visit to the hospital which treated the enemy wound, would never be recorded in official records.

[edit] Retroactive presentations

Service members requesting retroactive awards of the Purple Heart must normally apply through the National Personnel Records Center. Following a review of service records, those Army members so qualified are awarded the Purple Heart by the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia. Air Force veterans are awarded the Purple Heart by the Awards Office of Randolph Air Force Base while the Navy, Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard presents Purple Hearts to veterans through the Navy Liaison Officer at the National Personnel Records Center.

Simple clerical errors, where a Purple Heart is denoted in military records but was simply omitted from a DD Form 214 (Report of Separation), are corrected on site at the National Personnel Records Center through issuance of a document known as a DD-215.

[edit] Retroactive requests

As the Purple Heart did not exist prior to 1932, records of the decoration are not annotated in service histories of those veterans who were wounded or killed by enemy action prior to the establishment of the medal. The Purple Heart, however, is retroactive to 1917 meaning that it may be presented to veterans as far back as the First World War. In such cases, service departments will review service histories and all available records to determine if a veteran may be retroactively awarded the Purple Heart.

[edit] Destroyed record requests

Due to the 1973 National Archives Fire, a large number of retroactive Purple Heart requests are difficult to verify since all records to substantiate the award may very well have been destroyed. As a solution to this, the National Personnel Records Center maintains a separate office to deal with Purple Heart requests where service records have been destroyed in the 1973 fire. In such cases, NPRC searches through unit records, military pay records, and records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. If a Purple Heart is warranted, all available alternate records sources are forwarded to the military service department for final determination of issuance.

[edit] Last resort requests

Some veterans who have exhausted all available sources, often still feel that they should be awarded a Purple Heart, even if there are no records of the decoration. In such cases, service members may appeal directly to the military service department by way of a Defense Department Form 149, which requests an official change to military records. Usually, if the 149 is denied by the service department, there is nothing more a veteran can do and will not be awarded the Purple Heart. In some cases, however, veterans have been recommended for the Purple Heart, after the fact, by a United States Senator or Congressman. Such cases are treated as brand new award recommendations and the process for presenting the Purple Heart begins again with a review of records and interview of witnesses to the action in which a service member was wounded.

[edit] See also

[edit] Trivia

During World War II, nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the casualties resulting from the abandoned invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall. As of 2005, all the American military casualties of the following sixty years - including the Korean and Vietnam Wars - have not exhausted that stockpile. [1] This is somewhat misleading, however, as it suggests that Purple Hearts being issued currently are those minted in the closing days of World War II. In fact, the design of the medal and its corresponding service ribbon have been updated since the end of the Korean war, so the surplus ones represent an obsolete design that is no longer awarded.

The most Purple Hearts received by one person is eight. Four U.S. Army soldiers share that distinction:

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

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